Radio stations drop KISS after Simmons' depression comments

Two Winnipeg radio stations have stopped playing the band Kiss on their playlists.

Bob FM and Power 97 took Kiss out of their rotations on Friday. A Twitter campaign sprung up around the hashtag #BanGene.

The move comes after Gene Simmons made comments in an interview with Songfacts.com some say dismisses the reality of depression.

Both stations say Simmons is known for his outrageous remarks, but this time he went too far.

In the interview, he said, "I'm the guy who says 'Jump!' when there's a guy on the building who says, 'That's it, I can't take it anymore, I'm going to jump.'"

He also compared his mother's positive outlook on life after spending time in a Nazi concentration camp to a 20-year-old with depression, calling the 20-year-old a "putz."

The mood disorder association of Manitoba says radio station could do more positive and productive things with their access to large audiences. They said they should talk about the resources that area available.

Both Bob FM and Power 97 say they have made those types of resources available.

Simmons apologized on Facebook. "Depression is very serious and very sad when it happens to anyone," he said.

"This is not about me, this is about clearing up misconceptions and being clear. My heart goes out to anyone suffering from depression."